Diabetes Week 8-14 June

Thousands are set to get involved in the nationwide fundraiser in the UK.

The theme of this year’s Diabetes Week campaign is ‘i Can‘ and charity bosses want to know all about the challenges people with diabetes have overcome. They’re also keen to hear stories from people that help friends and family members with diabetes too, so if you have an inspirational story, make sure you get involved!

You can share these stories in a number of ways from 8-14 June on social media using the hashtag #iCan or by tagging the charity with @diabetesuk, so they can join in the conversation. Once you have your story written, you can:

Get involved in fundraising

If you don’t fancy using social media to support Diabetes Week, you can always help by taking part in a traditional fundraiser. The good news is you can organise your own event locally during Diabetes Week – here are a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing:

Hold a quiz at the local pub or community centre

Organise a cake sale at work, school or with friends

Sell some unwanted goods on eBay

Organise a raffle

Alternatively, Diabetes UK are looking for 7,000 volunteers to help shake collections tins in Tesco stores nationwide. Aptly named the Big Collection, the charity is hoping to raise £300,000 by asking customers for loose change during the weekend of 13-15 June. If you can volunteer a few hours to help, visit the Diabetes UK website.

All cash raised will help more people with diabetes get the information, advice and support they need. It will also help scientists find new ways to treat the condition, prevent it and hopefully one day cure it. Signing up to take part only takes a few minutes via their website.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a life-long condition that causes your blood sugar levels to become too high. It affects almost three million people in the UK, according to the National Health Service (NHS), but there are thought to be around 850,000 people with undiagnosed diabetes.

Symptoms include:

Feeling very thirsty

Urinating frequently, particularly at night

Feeling tired

Weight loss and loss of muscle bulk

There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 can develop very quickly, over weeks or even days. While those with Type 2 could have it for years without knowing.

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